The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-25
THE QUEER LITTLE DOOR.
A Christmas Story for Childre
Written for the Sunday Journal.
1.-THE earth is full of messengers
That love sends to and fro.

That love sends to and fro.
Sake Holm.
1t was Christmas eve, and Tired Mamma
sat in her sitting-room, by round table with a
student lamp on it. before bright open fire.
with big basket of stockings in her lap. The
Busy Papa had gone back TO the Office, the two
children, little Phil-and not very big Ethel
were sound asleep in their two little white beds
not very far away. the stockings were to be
darned and then the Tired Mamma could go to
bed, too The reason why she tired was
because she had had so much to do during the
day. 1t is no light days work to get two small
children out of bed in the morning, wash and
dress them while they are frolicking all over
the room and throwing pillows at each other.
give them their breakfasts. wash their faces
again and get them ready for Kindergarten,
then pack two small lunch baskets with two red
apples and two pieces of brown bread and butter
exactly alike. then walk with them down to Kin
dergarten answering thousand questions on the
way down, and kissing each one dozen times
at the gate then walk home again, do part of
the housework see about dinner. and sew, and
answer the door-ben for peddlers, and then go
for the children and answer another thousand
questions the way, help them get their things
off. wash their faces again, give them their din
ners, and then wash their faces again, and help
amuse them all afternoon, besides tying up
sore fingers, tying strings on things. and taking
out splinters. answering questions, seeing call
ers, and sewing. and then see about supper,
wash the children's faces again. give them their
supper, and then answer some more questions
and read some stories. wash their faces again,
and put them to bed. It was no wonder that
the Tired Mamma felt more like resting than
doing anything. But the stockings must be
darned, for there were some little stockings
among them. and it would be running a great
risk to hang up stocking for Santa Claus with
hole in it. There telling what might
happen in such a case While the Tired Mamma
sat resting she nodded and when she nodded
she jogged the darning basket, and ball of red
yarn rolled off on to.the floor. The kitten
doing by the fire. but she was not too far gone
for fun, so she popped up, and pounced on the
ball of red yarn and under the sofa with it
Then the Tired Mamma nodded again, and this
lime she laid her head on the sofa, thinking she
would take little cat-nap, and then wake up
and go to work at the stockings. But she slept
soundly that she dreamed-a real Christmas
dream. She thought she in bed and
suddenly awakened, and saw very bright light
in the room. She sat up in bed and looked all
around to where the light came from. and
saw that it was shining out of a queer little
door. which had mysteriously opened in the
head board of the bed. OF course she was very
much surprised, and could not imagine what it
all meant; she thought she would find out
she got up and stepped up over the pillows, and
peeped into the queer little door All she
was a long flight OF beautiful shining stairs,
leading down; but the banister high
that she could not see over it. Down below she
could hear futtering sounds and noises like sill
very voices talking, she ran back into her
room for shawl. and, wrapping it around her,
tiptoed softly down the shining stairs. Not a
thing could she until she got clear to the end
of them; then she peeped carefully around the
post and immense brilliantly
lighted with rows and rows of dazzling chande-
l1ers. The room was carpeted with pale blue
and pink carpet-roses, and roses, and roses
and the walls were of the same colors with
rose-v1nes climbing all over them. Crowds of
tiny little creatures like fairies or elves. with
gold or silver wings, and pale blue pink gar
ments on were in groups all about the beautiful
room. and new ones were constantly coming in
at tiny little doors which were all around the
towards tiny little desk at the upper end of |
the long room. where sat jolly, fat little old |
man. who reminded the Tired Mamma of some
body. but she was so bewildered that she could |
not at once think who it was He had curly white |
hair, long, curly white beard, red cheeks, and |
the merriest. twinkliest, blue eyes you ever saw.
He laughed all the time seemed in a very good /
humor, and was writing in very large book. |
AS each little silver gold-winged fairy fitted
mp to him he would turn over new leaf, and
seemed to write down faithfully everything the |
fairy told him; and all the time the otherfairies
were resting, or flying in and out of the little
doors. You can imagine that the Tired Mamma
was nearly wild to know who the little man
was and what it all meant. but she did not dare
to step one foot away from the stairs. for fear
they would roll up, sink away and she would
never get back again to Busy Papa and her little
ones. She had read fairy tales when she was a
little girl and knew that they sometimes had
very queer golngs-on- Pretty soon. fairy
passed very near her and she called softly to
him:
Little fellow, please come here He looked
a little surprised. but being a fairy. was used to
being surprised so he flew over to her, and she
said: DO tell me who that nice old man is and
What you dear little fairies are all doing The
names-and answered. why that's Santa
Claus. and we are his dream messengers. We
are getting in Christmas orders"
Dream messengers" she repeated in aston
ishment What are theyf"
why, silly!' said the fairy. little out Of pa
tience, I'VE fly all over the world and visit
little children's beds, and listen to their dreams
that may know what they want for Christ
mas. We cannot start out till after dark but if
we can we listen to their prayers, too. for they
often pray for things that we give them.
Then We fly back and report to Santa Claus. He
takes down all the names and nations. and when
the order book is filed it is sent to the toy-fac-
tory where the goods are packed ready to be de-
livered We do not often make mistakes, and
often have to pass by poor little children; they
do not always know how to pray. and are nearly
always so tired and hungry that they do not
dream, perhaps only of food-when they do, |
we always send it. l caught queer order the
other day. 1t was from a little colored girl-all
she wanted Santa Claus to bring her was "a
clean apron, like little white girls wore, with
long strings'-She shall have it, and more too,
for we sometimes fillout our orders when we
think them too light"
Tell me- dear fairy" said the Tired Mamma,
shave you got my little Phils and Ethers
dreams yetF'
''oh. yes said the fairy. they We're brought
in some time ago. The fairy that took their
order was careless and left the door open. and
that is the way that you happened to come
down here, think"
Just she going to ask the fairy what
Phil and Ethel had dreamed of. the Tired
Mamma sneezed-you remember she was in her
bare feet, and the fairies flashing in and out of
he little doors let in lots of cold night air.
Fatal sneeze; Santa Claus heard it and looked
1p-then he frowned-an awful frown-If there
S anything he will not stand it is to be med
lied with by world-people when he is deep in
lis Christmas work so he stood up, and point